Zero Tolerance Must Not Be Tolerated
The practice of zero tolerance in our country must be stopped! It goes against the very core of the foundations of our republic. The definition of tolerance is: The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others. Recently the definition of zero tolerance has been added to The American Heritage Dictionary it is: The policy or practice of not tolerating undesirable behavior, such as violence or illegal drug use, especially in the automatic imposition of severe penalties for first offenses. Who gets to decide the definition of ‘undesirable behavior’? When will the list of undesirable behavior grow to include eating the wrong food, the practice of certain religions or what speech is acceptable? This should be a concern for all Americans who value the Declaration of Independence which states ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ There is one resounding theme in the founding documents of this country and that is free will. Zero tolerance destroys free will! This country was founded on the principles and preservation of individual rights and sovereignty. What the practice of zero tolerance does is to give certain elite individuals the power to determine what is correct and right thinking for the masses. Zero tolerance also relieves anyone in authority from having to display any responsibility or common sense. We may as well have robots in charge. Every day there are more reports of zero tolerance in schools with small children being charged with terrorism for playing cops and robbers or pointing their fingers at one another and yelling ‘bang’. Who decided that humans are to be perfect? And who gets to determine what perfection is? As humans we all make mistakes. If we are intelligent, we probably learn from our mistakes and do not repeat them. The wonderful thing about a free society is as long as we do no harm to another we are suppose to be allowed to pursue happiness as we define it. If we are to remain free we must be tolerant of others as they pursue their happiness. By allowing anyone to define what happiness is for you strips away the very foundation of freedom. We are transforming from a society of free, sovereign individuals to a society of with no more freedom than a flock of sheep with no free will. Yes the real goal of zero tolerance is to strip away any sense of individuality in society.
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Perhaps it is time for all patriotic Americans to stand up and declare a zero tolerance policy against anyone or group that would dare deprive any citizen of the blessings of freedom guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. We should do it with the same vigor expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Perhaps there should be a harsh, swift penalty for voting against the tenants of the Constitution. This would force law makers to actually think about what they are voting on. I may be a little over zealous, but I think that first offenses should require a mandatory tar and feathering of the individual and putting them on public display. This practice worked quite well in times past. This would be inline with the part of the definition which states ‘automatic imposition of severe penalties for first offenses’. These law makers need to be defined and disciplined quickly. We should take this as serious as hoof and mouth disease. It must be eliminated immediately!